Walmart Black Friday Sales to open 8pm Thanksgiving evening

It has been a trend in recent years for Black Friday sales to start earlier and earlier and some retailers have even opened their doors to customers at midnight on Thanksgiving, this year however, Walmart announced they were going one step further and starting their sale at 8pm on Thanksgiving evening. And as far as we know, Sears is the only other retailer to match their opening store time. The 8pm opening is being seen as a canny ploy to get shoppers in the Black Friday sales mood without interfering with their traditional Thanksgiving customs, such as eating a huge dinner and gathering around the TV to watch the match. And this year, Walmart say they will guarantee some of the best deals to all shoppers who are in the store or in line between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Three such deals are the Apple iPad®2, the Emerson® 32” 720p LCD TV and the LG®Blu-ray™ Player. Walmart say that if any of these items happen to sell out before 11 p.m. local time, they will offer a Guarantee Card for the item which must be paid for by midnight and registered online. The product will then be shipped to the store where it was purchased for the customer to pick up before Christmas.

“We know it’s frustrating for customers to shop on Black Friday and not get the items they want,” said Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising and marketing officer, Walmart U.S. “This year, for the first time ever, customers that shop during Walmart’s one-hour event will be guaranteed to have three of the most popular items under their tree at a great low price.”

Walmart are promoting the Black Friday sales as ‘Three Events – One Destination’, with its in-store specials at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, followed by its big electronics event at 10 p.m. and a weekend full of savings starting at 5 a.m. on Friday, November 23.

“No matter our customer’s shopping preference – whether it is to stay up late or shop early –they will find amazing low prices on the broadest assortment we’ve ever offered,” added Mac Naughton.

A few of the top items available in store, while supplies last, include:

8 p.m. on November 22: Gifts for the Entire Family – Toys, Gaming, Home and Apparel

Xbox 360® 4GB + SkyLanders™ Bundle – $149

Wii™ Console– $89

More than 100 video games priced at $10, $15 or $25 each

Top Toys of the Season: Leappad® 1.0 Learning Tablet ($65) and Furby® ($45)

And so that you can start to plan your Black Friday savings, starting November 19, to help customers prepare and navigate the big event, a Black Friday local store map will be available to view and print on Walmart.com and local Walmart Facebook pages. Also, for the first time, customers can view an interactive local store map on their mobile phone via the Walmart Mobile App, enabling customers to click on items to see the price, product description and location in the store.

Also, a new feature just introduced this holiday, customers who sign up for email at Walmart.com, like its Facebook wall or download the Walmart Mobile App, will be among the FIRST to get early access to special deals and information. In fact, these customers will receive exclusive, early access to purchase select Black Friday “store” items directly online at Walmart.com and via the Walmart Mobile App hours before they are available in stores.